The Loric Games
by Number Ten
Summary: Katniss Everdeen volunteered for her sister to compete in the 74th annual Hunger Games. Along with her counterpart Peeta Mellark, the two compete in a fight to the death. However, as the games begin, Katniss begins to notice something unusual is going on. Some of the players are very strong and unusually gifted. She has little time to confirm her suspicions when unexpected allies.
1. Prologue

I'm not one to believe in the impossible or unrealistic. I've always been the sane and practical one in my family. It's always been like that after my dad died, I've had to take care of my sister Prim and when I volunteered for her in The Hunger Games, I knew I was facing impossible odds. I didn't know at the time if I could win, there's twenty four of us and only one comes out. But when I saw Prim and my mother, she made me promise that I would try to win for her. When I'd seen Madge and she presented me with a mockingjay pin, I walked towards the doors that led to the train, the train would take me away, maybe forever and having no idea what was in store for me. Prim's words echoed in my head as I stepped off the platform into the awaiting end of my life. Peeta Mellark stands next to me, I avoid his eyes, but I can feel his on me. I steal a quick glance and his eyes are possibly sympathetic and hardly re-assuring. I keep my composure and step into the train.

Little did I know, two very different worlds were about to collide and I left impossible back at the Reaping.


	2. Chapter 1: For Whom the Reaping Tolls

"I'm done" I say softly. I toss my napkin onto the table and get up. I'd had an enough of Effie's descriptions of what the latest night club in the Capitol and Haymitch's constant demands for more liquor. I could only take so much togetherness.

I walk down the dining car, knowing that Peeta was watching me as I went. I open the door at the end of the car and shift through. I wasn't going to get used the whoosing sound of the train. 99 miles per hour and you were hardly supposed to feel a thing. I felt it. I wished I was back at home, where everything was still.

I open the door to my room and sit on the bed. Genuine silk, typical for a bed spread of the Capitol. I'll admit it was an improvement over the moth ridden blankets that my mom was constantly sewing, but it just smelled wrong. Clean, artificial and most likely brand new. I wondered how many tributes before me had slept on sheets like this, probably never felt something quite like this and then once they were killed, the silken spread was most likely disposed of to get rid of the scent of District 12. They didn't want the filth of our poverty ridden lives contaminating what they had. it was much easier to toss them away, just like the Games does with our lives.

I turn towards the TV that's playing on the wall. It's just showing re-caps of the reapings. I can't help but glance every so often to see who will be competing. The first two districts are the same, beautiful and spoiled, but strong people volunteering to make their district proud. The next one a scrawny teen is picked from the boys in Three. He catches my eye for a moment. He doesn't...seem normal. He's unusually skinny considering what district he's from. He looks like he's been out of the sun for years and his eyes are black. He has those eyes that seem unforgiving and you could probably see yourself if you made eye contact. I shudder thinking that if I ever come across him in the arena, those eyes would be the last thing I'd see.

He has sharp angles on his face and his nose is unusually large. I'm tryng not to judge, but he sticks out like a sore thumb. He stands at the ready, hardly bothering to brush his thick, black bangs out of his face. He also looks too old to be a tribute, he looks to be in his twenties at least, but his name was in the reaping ball so he must be 18. He avoids a glance at the cameras unlike the previous districts who were pumping up the crowds like they owned them. The girl chosen before him looks completely normal, shaggy brown hair and blue eyes. She seems almost wiry and possibly mousy.

I'm about to reach for the remote when the District 4 reapings appear. A man dressed in an excessive amount of feathers, including a hat made with peacock feathers stands at the glass bowl.

"John Smith."

A handsome boy looks about 15 years old. He's well built with a square jaw and has blond hair and blue eyes. He looks like Peeta, only slightly younger and more angry. He seems to be clenching his fists and hardly looking at the camera. I ponder over his name as he makes his way to the stage.

What an old fashioned name. Hardly used anymore, it's pretty weird. I know from history class that there used to be many Johns and it was a holy name, back when religion was a tradition. I wonder if his parents are Traditionalists. That's some kind of alliance that the Capitol has been trying make extinct for years. It contains people who are kind of rebels, they long for the peaceful days before the war and Panem. They've been labelled as crackpots and are ignored mostly, but one of their methods of rebelling is to name their children very old names. Whether their names are weird or not, they're still kids and they go into the reaping just like everyone else.

John Smith's made it to the stage and he keeps his eyes down. He has this really dark intensity to him that makes him really intimidating. I can tell he wants to punch the announcer, but his eyes go out into the audience and he sees someone out of shot. There's a cut to a girl, a very pretty girl who seems to be crying. She's also quite beautiful and blonde, she looks like a supermodel. She covers her face with her hand and runs towards the man with the camera.

"Leave me alone, you Capitol...!" and she storms from the scene.

_Poor girl_ I think to myself, _just like Prim._

I can't imagine leaving the one you truly love at home, with the likelihood that you'll never come back alive. I have Prim and my mother and I promised I would try to win for her. I hadn't realized that John Smith probably made the same promise to his girlfriend. I can't help, but feel sorry for him, only one comes out alive.

The next girl reaped is taller than John and no doubt a Career. Districts 1, 2 and 4 are all known for having those kids who train until their 18 and then volunteer for the games, they can be arrogant and cocky, but they're pretty lethal. Although John Smith looks well built, he doesn't seem he spend all his time training.

The footage cuts to District 5. The girl is reaped and she's got fiery red hair and her persona is twitchy and possibly sneaky. Her face is almost fox like. A woman who's dressed like a disco ball picks out the boy's name./p

"Bolt Anteriot"

A short and almost stubby kid stalks to the stage. He too looks about my age, he's shorter than most of the people in the crowd, but built like barrel. He looks like he could wrestle and win. He has brown hair that's shaved in a military buzz style. He also has an eye patch over his one eye. That is something I've never seen before. I start to wonder what happened to him. He, unlike the other tributes, has an unreadable expression. He doesn't look unhappy or distressed, but not pleased with the attention. He keeps looking at the ground and trying to hide the fact that he has one eye.

District 6 is next.

"Starla Wilton"

A girl, probably a year older than me stands up. She looks like a supermodel, tall, thin with hazel eyes and long black hair pulled back into a ponytail. She walks to the stage with her head held high, not a hint of fear, also not noticing that she's turning all the heads in the male section. She stands on the stage, with hands on her hips and a determined expression. Her chosen counterpart barely hails in comparison, he's a scrawny kid with dark hair and eyes. He looks really scared and fearful of the sudden attention.

I keep my eyes glued to the screen as District 7 are picked. A girl about eighteen is chosen. I hear her name.

"Marina Adeline"

She's short, dark hair and thoughtful eyes. She doesn't look scared or upset. She walks to the stage and glares at the camera. Her fists are also clenched and as she passes some of the previous tributes sitting in the front, they shudder and look around in confusion. I guess she's trying to keep her dignity as much as possible. She tosses her bangs back and crosses her arms, waiting for her male tribute.

Her male tribute is called.

"Ashon Oakly"

A tall boy, about 14 walks toward the stage. He's a very tanned and grey eyes. He keeps his eyes down and only steals a side glance at his District partner.

Once it's done, they both turns on their heels and walks into the Justice building together. I started to wonder if they knew each other, just like I knew Peeta in the District.

n District 8, Hannu Jommila, a thin, well built boy with copper-tanned skin, thick muscles and brown eyes is chosen. His expression is neutral and he shoves his shaggy hair out of his face. He watches the audience as if trying to study them.

District 9, Milo Anchort, a tall, muscular boy with long hair and for some weird reason is bare foot. He seems to be extremely pleased with him being chosen. He really tries to ham it up for the cameras, shaking hands with the announcer and bumping his chest. He tries flashing his muscles for the girls around and his female associate rolls her eyes. I find myself giggling at his weird attitude. At least he tries to be happy about his predicament. He looks like he could be a deadly asset this year.

At District 10, a girl just like Prim, about twelve or thirteen years old with auburn, curly hair and a mousy demeanor is chosen, but she is replaced with a girl long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and blue eyes. She pats the young girl on the head and hugs her before heading to the stage. They're not family, as far as I can tell, but they seem to be close. The younger girl doesn't seem upset, she's even grinning slightly.

A similar situation plays out in District 11, only no one volunteers for the young twelve year old with dark skin and curly black hair. Her partner is a very strong, and very well built. He towers over everyone and just glares. He is also a dangerous and someone to avoid.

I finally turn off as District 12 replays. I pull my braid style out in front of the mirror and wipe the tears from my eyes.

_Pull yourself together Katniss. You promised._

No doubt that this year's Hunger Games would be difficult.

_You have no idea._


	3. Chapter 2: Burning Ambition

I wake up to Effie knocking on my door.

"Up, up, up. It's going to be a big, big day" she squeaks cheerily. Ugh, her happiness towards this whole thing makes my stomach turn.

I saunter out of bed and throw on some clothes. I find Haymitch drinking, but managing to keep a conversation with Peeta. Peeta offers me some hot chocolate which is so delicious that I want another. I sit down and grab anything within my reach, eating, knowing I'm going to need it. I never try to take food for granted.

"Got anything to share sweetheart?" Haymitch grumbles, trying to bring me into the conversation.

"About what?"

"Surviving of course" he says, taking another swig from his glass.

My mind goes to last nights re-runs.

"My best advice is to stay alive."

"Very funny" Peeta says angrily and goes for the glass in Haymitch's hand. The glass drops to the floor and shatters, splattering everything within distance with red wine. Haymitch punches Peeta in the jaw causing him to go flying. I react instinctively and drive my knife between Haymitch's hand and the bottle. I wait for him to counteract but he doesn't.

"Well, well, well, did I actually get some good fighters this year?" he asks.

Peeta grabs some ice from a bucket and holds it against his jaw.

"Let the bruise show, it'll make it seem like you know what you're doing."

"We're going to need it." I say. "I saw the tapes of the tributes this year. We've got some serious competition and not just the Careers, but in pretty much all the Districts."

"Am I sensing hesitation?" Haymitch asks.

"Hell no!" I say firmly.

"Show me what you got sweetheart."

I grab the knife from the table and get a handle on the blade. I toss it and it lands better than I thought it would. I do know how to throw knives, part of my hunting gear, but I prefer the bow.

Haymitch lines us up and examines us.

"I'll make you kids a deal. You don't interfere with my drinking, I'll stay sober enough to help you guys out. So I want no complaints about anything that you're gonna be put through in the next few hours. Got it?" He says, practically daring us to protest.

"Fine" Peeta says and I nod in agreement.

We pull into the station. Peeta and I stand next to each other by the window. I keep my lip buttone and move away from the window, but Peeta flashes a smile and waves to the people in the crowd. It's like the Capitol's own little lap dogs, which I think was the intention before they put us against each other on live TV. I don't want to be doll, but we promised Haymitch we'd tolerate whatever we're going to go through. He glancse at my disapproving look and shrugs.

"One of them might be rich" he says.

Haymitch comes up beside me, holding a half empty bottle of whiskey.

"You might want to follow his example, he's got the right idea."

The next few hours are very painful. My three preppies have been ridding my body of hair and skin in preparation for meeting my stylist. All of team are dressed bizarrely and mutter in their Capitol accents.

"Done!" one of them squeaks happily. I let out a sigh of relief and force a smile on my face.

"Thank you." I say with the best amount of sincerity that I can muster.

My prep team leave me in peace so I can collect my wits. I'm greasy, cold and hairless, not my ideal position to be in. We're going to be put parade tonight for the entire Capitol. The costumes are supposed to represent our district in someway and the costumes have been hideous or embarrassing.

My stylist, Cinna, seems normal and nice. He praises me for protecting my sister by volunteering for her. As we eat he tells me that he has a new idea for District 12 this year. He wants to do complementary costumes with an unforgettable twist.

"And what do we do with coal? We burn it."

I'm surprised but also happy that I won't be indecent or anything stupid.

"You're not afraid of fire are you Katniss?"


	4. Chapter 3: Not My Kind of Design

I fix my hair in the mirror. I'm fed up the Capitol already. I know why all seven of us, with the exception of Ella are in the games this year. The Mogadorians are working with the Capitol in order to exterminate us. I'm sure President Snow tought this would be the best way to ally with the Mogs is by putting us in their Hunger Games. Little does Snow realize that as soon as all of us Lorics are gone, the Mogs will enslave the people more than they already have. Snow will most likely realize that his precious Panem will be reduced to nothing with the snap of Setrakus Ra's fingers. Not that people on this side of the globe realize that there's been a war raging on the other continents. A war of intergalactic proportions.

All eleven of us were brought to Earth when we young. Our planet, Lorien was destroyed by the Mogadorians only a handful of us and our Cepans made it off alive. When we landed, the humans that greeted us warned us to never move to Panem. Here we had free will and not be sentenced to death. Although, we as kids, were physically superior than most humans we would not survive the games until our legacies came in. Even then, the risk of being discovered was too great to go anywhere near the dystopian society. All eleven of us have been hiding in Europe and all over the rest of world, with the exception of Panem, aka North America. There's been nothing, but corruption and oppression in Panem, while the rest of the world seems fairly civilized and normal. The other governments have not even dared to try and take over Panem because although humble on the outside, Snow is malicious and calculating with the threat of nuclear weapons and the lives of thousands of people who live in his world at his disposal. That is a man made of pure evil. The only person worse than him is Setrakus Ra himself.

It wasn't until that the first three of the Garde were attacked and nearly killed that we were low on options for places to run. We all lost our Cepans and we were left to find each other. We gained our legacies and human allies along the way, including my boyfriend Blake. We were finally making progress as a team until Setrakus Ra came to Earth

The eleven of us met up not long ago, but the Mogs came after us quite quickly. They threw just about everything they could after us, we were winning until Ra came after us himself. He cancelled all of our legacies and we knew we had to run. We barely escaped with our lives. As a consequence we had to adapt new identities and split into the districts. I found it kind of funny that we picked our corresponding numbers, all except Ella, Three, and I. Three and Marina went to the 7th district together and Ella stayed with me. We decided at least two or more of us needed to stay together. It was only supposed to be temporary, but when the Mogs began hunting us in Panem, they joined with Snow and thought the best way to avoid a war was to kill us in the games. I could read the announcer's thoughts and he was instructed to say our names, no matter whose name he/she picked. Fortunately, Eight and John saw this ahead of time and we had come up with a proper plan.

Of course Snow has no idea what we have planned or what we're capable of. We're going to use the Games as a way of rallying allies against the Mogadorians and start the rebellion to free these people from their oppression. If we can get some of the Tributes in these games too, if they don't kill each other first. I've seen the first two districts, there's no hope there, but the outer districts may want the chance to come out of this alive.

But until the games, we're stuck acting like the regular tributes and that includes being mentored by idiots and putting on these ugly costumes. I don't really understand what the point is dressing up in costumes an parading us around like show dogs. Our "mentors" tell us it's to gain sponsors, but with the eight of us, we can take care of ourselves. I'm District Ten so that means live stock. The drunken stylist wants us dressed up like cowboys, but it makes me want to hurl. I want something more invigorating, less stupid and more creative. Fortunately, I have a great sense of style. I have a few hours until the parade and my stylist is too drunk to care what we do, so I decide to sneak down from the tower.

_Yo Six, _I tell her in my head.

_What's up Christina?_ she says.

_I need to use your invisibility to sneak down to the costumes._

_Yes, please, I look like the fricken moon, I need something better. _

_Let's get the rest of the guys and redesign this crappy costumes. _I say.

_On my way._

After 20 minutes or so, all of us, plus Adam have made it to the costume room.

"This is my Graceland." I say, and set up two mannequins, one for guys and one for girls.

I start with District 3, technology. The thing Adam has to wear is a silver cape and this ridiculous head dress made of gears or something.

"That is hideous" I say, trying to laugh at Adam.

My mind begins to race as I see the materials all around me. I begin barking orders.

"Six, hand me some synthetic lighting."

"John, I need some black fabric."

Before long, I've completely stripped the ugly costumes and come up with a totally new design. I've created black synthetic jumpsuits that have trillions of little lights that reflect off the fabric. I also create a light up headband for the girl and matching necklaces that light up with the touch of a button.

"That's much better" Adam says.

Next is District 4, fishing. John shows me the design and I nearly start laughing.

"Eight, hand me something blue silk and Nine some fish netting."

"Sweet! Johnny's getting fish net stockings" Nine cheers.

John slugs Nine in the shoulder.

A bit of some stripping of the blue and a few pieces of netting.

"I hope, Sarah doesn't mind me showing off your chest" I say fitting John up.

I've created a new piece. I've fitted John with a trident chain over top a very thin fish netting muscle shirt and blue shorts that have fish-netting draped over one side of his hip. I fit him with brown sandals and a simple ring of small bubble beads. For the girl, I create a blue bikini style dress with fish netting around the stomach. I find a shell necklace and add bubble accessories to the hair.

"Much better" I grin.

District 5, power. Five, my twin brother tries on the design. All of us burst out laughing, he looks like a cross between a disco ball and a walking satellite dish. Just like in cartoons and coincidentally, a light bulb goes off in my head. I work with lighting again, but work with the silver that the designer has already started off. In te end, I created very dark grey suit for Five that lights up along the sides in line patterns, he basically looks like a power grid or a circuit board, with matching gloves and glasses. The girl's is similar only she has a glowing head band.

I move onto Six and District 6, transportation. She looks like the moon, don't ask me what the stylist was thinking, it's not related to the district at all. I dye some leather suits silver and have Marina, with the best artistic hand, create train tracks that I go over in thread. I fit Six with silver eyeliner and a light dusting of sparkles that makes her skin and eyes pop. I string her hair up with a leather headband and put on high heel boots. She now looks sassy and deadly at the same time.

Marina's District 7 is next, lumber. Her stylist had her dressed in a ruffled dress that I think was supposed to look like paper, but she looks like a giant paper mache sculpture. I go for the original tree idea. I fit her with brown boots that I have a machine stitch embroidered leaves along the sides. I have her in brown tights and a short brown skirt with a similar embroidery design. I fit her in a strapless top that hugs her curves and gradually goes green. I give her a nice leaf necklace and have a small crown of flowers to complete the outfit. I give her green eye shadow and create delicate patterns around her temples that represent a breeze . I apply some earthy tones that make her eyes pop out more and give her neutral lipstick. For Three, I dress him in brown boots and pants, with muscle shirt that I embroider with leaf designs. I add an axe necklace and a crown of leaves.

"Perfect" I say with a smile. He only returns a small grin I really try to be friendly to Three, he'd been living by himself for a long time and is especially timid around us. He sees his inexperience as a liability.

Eight shows me the outfit for District 8, textiles. He looks like a giant quilt with ugly complementary colours.

"Is you stylist colour blind?" I ask.

"Just might be." Eight grumbles.

I decide to show off Eight's bold muscle structure so I only design bottoms. I manage to find a bin of scrap cloth to use. I liked the idea using cloth, but not with ugly colours with matching hats. I use a machine that weaves the fabrics together so it looks less like quilt and more like a woven blanket. The colours complement each other and along the sides make the black thread look like stitching. I finish the outfit with Eight wearing a needle on a chain. For the girl, I create a matching dress with the assorted fabrics and she'll wear a matching headband and a thread spool necklace.

Nine is the last one before my own. District 9, grain. The hideous outfits are silver and I think are supposed to represent the factories or the combine harvesters. Regardless, I start from scratch. I use earthy/golden tons for Nine's pants and cut off the cuffs to give a rough, worn look. I have the machine embroider tufts of wheat. I think about giving him a straw hat, but I decide to let his hair go out. For the female, I give a golden/brown dress a go over to make it look rugged. I get the machine to do the same thing around the hem of the skirt. I also give Nine a tuft of wheat to suck on. I hope the audience likes the touch.

I have little time left for my own costume. I decide to keep the hat and boots, but get rid of the dorky ensemble that is supposed to complete the outfit. I decide to go really simple and wear a plaid tank top and very short jean skirt. For the boy, a plaid t-shirt and jeans. I add cow skin belts with the buckle in the shape of a bull.

"Now I feel better." I say, braiding my hair into pigtail style. "At least, we won't look like idiots."

"What are you going to tell your stylists?" Marina asks.

"Nothing, it'll be too late for them to change anything." I grin. If we need to be show dogs, we'll be damn good ones.

"We gotta hurry." John says. "We've got ten minutes till we need to be in the stables."

"Before we go..." Eight says. "Should we discus..." he stops and looks around. We are no doubt under surveillance. Why the Capitol let us break in here and remake our outfit, I'll never know. I guess if they thought that we had accepted our fate, we coul do whatever we wanted.

_How about we do it in a safer environment? _I suggest to them.

_I agree_ John says. _Let's go_

We all walk out of the fabric room, wearing our costumes proudly. We deliver the new designs to our counterparts and make last minute touches on make-up before heading out.

I don't care about what our stylists say or whine about, what I did is better than all of their ideas together. Anyways, they were not my kind of designs.


	5. Chapter 4: Tributes on Parade

"It's only synthetic fire, you'll be perfectly safe." Cinna re-assures us.

Peeta and I are in matching costumes, black unitards with leather boots. In a few moments before the doors open and the chariots take off, Cinna will torch our capes and my head dress. I'm really nervous about it and so is Peeta. We made an agreement that if we do start to burn, we'll rip each others cape off.

The anthem begins and the first few chariots get ready to roll out. I look over at the others. The suits are lighting up properly for Adam and Five. John, Nine and Eight look buff enough to make all the girls go wild. Six and Marina look beautiful and I hope I look okay too. I fix my braids and suck in the stomach, maybe I can turn on a few boys tonight. I know my district tribute can't keep his eyes from wondering. I don't mind, but I do have a boyfriend.

_Good to go?_ I ask the others.

_Yep_

_Sure_

_I guess so_

_At least I don't look like a dork... _

_Time to get the ladies screaming_

I roll my eyes. I look behind me and I see what the final districts have planned. For District 11, it's farm gear, overalls and silver crowns for some reason. In the back I see the District 12 girl and guy being lit on fire. Genius idea. At least they have a decent stylist, maybe he can give me some tips about enhancing costume designs. I catch myself, realizing this'll be the last Hunger Games, if we have anything to say about it.

Our chariot begins to move and I'm hit with a wave of sound. The roars and screams of the crowd overwhelm my ears so much that I'd wished I'd worn earplugs. I can't even imgine what it'll be like for Nine. I look at myself on the giant TV screen showing the broadcast, I look alright, a bit sexy and stylish. I don't know whether to smile or not, so I give it a shot. I hear hoots from some boys as we go along the street. I hate being in larger crowds because its overwhelming to hear everyone's thoughts. Nothing too interesting, but it never hurts to keep the mind open.

A louder roar comes from behind us. It must be District 12, the idea is so great that I have to talk to their stylist. I figure that at least the attentions not on us for now. Let them have their moment in the spotlight, they don't have legacies like we do to survive. Our chariot goes in front of President Snow's mansion. He steps to the podium and addresses the crowd. I try to lock eyes with him. I can tell he's getting death stares from all the Loric tributes. I try to focus in on his mind, what kind of crap are the Mogs putting him up to? I find hard to focus on the one mind, it's weird because I've never had issues focusing before. I squint hard and grab the edge of my chariot tightly. He gives a small speech about welcoming this year's tributes before the chariots move into the Training Centre. I keep my eye on him the entire time, but he walks away before our eyes can meet. This doesn't stop me from talking to him telepathically

_Just you wait _I tell him. _You are going to regret everything._

I can't tell if he got the message or not.

We enter the building that'll house us until the Games begin. We're going to be training and stuff for the next few days, we'll be graded, we'll have interviews and a bunch of other crap before we actually ge to the Games. This'll give us tonnes of time to think of a strategy together.

I hop out and realize that I squeezed the side of the chariot so hard that I took a chunk of it off. Sometimes I forget about my enhanced strength. I crunch it into little pieces and let them fall to the shiny, aluminum floor. I'm just glad nobody noticed. I wait for the stylist to start nagging to me for changing the designs, but I'm deaf enough right now that it won't bother me. I see the District 12 team cheering gleefully about their presentation. I have to admit, they look pretty great. I catch the eye of the blonde boy. I want to reach out with my telepathy, but I don't want him to freak out. He give him a small smile. He returns the gesture. I read his thoughts and learn a little bit about him. Peeta Mellark, son of a baker and resident in District 12. He's cute, but he has eyes for his district partner, Katniss Everdeen. He wants to make sure that she lives through the games. I'd do the same thing for Blake if he was my ditrict partner. Eventually, he's lost in the crowd of his team, but I make note of him and Katniss. They might be valuable allies and would like to walk out of here alive.

I hit the elevator button and head up on my own. I make my way to my room and pull my chest from its hiding place. The problem is I'm extremely paranoid about the cameras. This is the kind of society where everyone is watched.

_Hey Snow, _I think to myself. _Instead of poking your unusually large nose in people's business, use the technology for something useful. _

I know one thing I want to do before I call it a day. I pick up the phone.

"Please specify the District you wish to contact." a robotic voice says.

"Ten" I say into the mouth piece.

"Name?"

"Blake Levitt."

"One moment please."

I tap my fingers impatiently. Blake grabs it on the second ring.

"Hi." I say.

"Hi, how are you?" It's so nice to hear his voice again. I haven't heard it since he came to say good-bye to me.

"Alright, I assume you and Ella saw us tonight?"

"Yeah, you guys looked great."

"Thanks, compliments of yours truly." I giggle with a grin.

"Which ones did you design?"

"Three to Ten."

"Impressive."

"Why thank you." I say,almost taking a bow.

"The other...tributes were begging me to change them."

The phones are most likely tapped so I have to pretend that I don't know the guys very well.

"Have you..."

"Yes, but not for long" I say quickly.

_Let's keep this short _I say to him.

I would talk to him telepathically, but at a longer distance it's harder.

"Would you like to talk to Ella?" he asks.

"Sure."

I hear the phone being handed off.

"Hi big sister." Ella says. That's part of the disguise is that Ella is my sister and I'm allowed to raise her because our parents are dead.

"Hi." I say, also happy to hear her voice too.

"I saw you on the TV. I can't believe you designed those."

"Wasn't easy, took a lot of time."

"How are...is..." She stops short remembering what's going on.

"It's good." I say, covering for her. "You might want to...you know, talk about it."

"Is the food any good? I want to know if I'm missing anything...delicious." That's code for the plan and if we've made any progress.

"It's alright." I say. "I did have some under cooked chicken." Translation: The plan is not quite ready. "But I'm sure it won't happen again."

"I want to thank you for taking my place." She says.

"You're my sister, you have a future ahead of you." I say.

In actuality, Ella wanted to go into the games with the others, but we'd agreed the night before is that we need someone to be able to communicate on both sides. Our best hope is that Ella and the others can find a way to screw up the games so we can escape and find Setrakus Ra. She's still young, but she can kick some serious butt. She was the one who managed to weaken Setrakus Ra so that we could escape. I know that she can hold her own.

"Anything happen at school?" I say. Code for how is the legacy and combat training going.

"Good. I had to give a report today about agricultural meat processing, so nothing too interesting." Code: We haven't been caught training yet.

I feel I've had a long enough conversation, any longer someone might catch on to our code.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow." I say.

"Good luck with training." Ella says before handing the phone back to Blake.

"She misses you and so do I."

"I miss you too but, hey I just might win."

Blake snorts at the other end. I try not to smile myself. If it were to happen. All of us Loric could take out the tributes on the first day if we had to, but we don't murder the innocent. That's the Capitol's job.

"I love you." I say.

"I love you too."

"Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Okay." and I hang up.

I strip from my costume and change into something more comfortable. I stare at myself in the mirror. I rub my hand against my ankle to make sure it's still there. My pendant. It was the best hiding spot I could think of. I really feel like I should be wearing it with pride on my chest, but for the sake of cover right now, this is where it'll stay.

I eat with the others, not saying a thing and then hope into bed to watch the recap of the chariot rides. The District 12 kids steal the show. Good for them, they deserve some recognition.

I watch the city lights for awhile until I'm sure that everyone must be asleep by now. Everyone except... We need a safe place to meet, out of sight and mind. A place not under surveillance for the time we need. We can't leave the place because of the cameras and we're basically prisoners until the games. My brain starts clicking, maybe instead of under, we need to go over.

I reach out with my telepathy.

_Roof now._


	6. Chapter 5: Strategy

I hear from Christina after everyone's in bed. This is what I've been waiting for. I hope out of bed and go for the windows. I shine my Lumen upwards towards the sky. I'm only on the fourth floor, this is going to be difficult. Six is able to turn invisible, Five can fly, Nine has anti-gravity, so does Three and Eight can teleport. They have the useful legacies for stealth. My hands light up like a lighthouse beacon, it's a more offensive weapon.

The wind is blowing in my face and hair as I figure out a way to get up there. The lights and sounds of the city below feel out of place. Sarah and I had grown accustomed to the sounds of the waves and the occasional caw of the seagulls. We'd often take long walks on the beach together, watching the sunset before having to go in for curfew. It really killed the romantic mood. There are too many restrictions in this society. I just hate that we had to go into hiding again. Henri had always been told to stay away from Panem and now here we are. Right smack in the heart of a corrupt society and in the middle of their games no less. At least not all of us were chosen in the draw. I'm glad Sarah, Sam, Mark, Ella, One, Two and Three were spared. One of the reasons why was One and Two came over from Europe the day of the reaping. They stayed behind after our escape to monitor the Mogs' movements. I think they're in the Capitol by now, but so far nothing. I usually rely on Christina or Ella with their telepathy. I know for sure that we can't use the phones because they are tapped by the guards or the president himself. Knowing the Mogs, they are always watching.

I don't think I've felt more violated than coming to this country. There are cameras everywhere and bugs all over the place. They even have a TV show about kids killing each other. It's a twisted form of entertainment. I don't think there is a place that has a decent amount of privacy, but Christina seems to think that we can make some progress on this plan. When we get out of here, I will never ever take alone time for granted, especially with Sarah.

"John" a voice comes out of nowhere. I hadn't realized that Eight had teleported into the room.

"Hey." I say casually. "How's it going."

"Alright."

"How's your range here?"

"Pretty good. We just need to grab Adam on our way up."

"Sounds good." I take Eight's hand. Everything becomes black for a moment. Next thing I see is a dark room one floor down. Th only light is what's coming from the streets below. My head begins to throb a bit. Teleportation does not agree with me or the other Garde who aren't used to it. I let my eyes adjust before I try to use my Lumen. If we ended up somewhere other than Adam's room, I don't want to startle anyone or give away our legacies.

"Adam" I hiss into the darkness.

Nothing.

"Come on Adam we have to..."

Still nothing.

"Where could he be?" Eight says under his breath.

I turn my Lumen on and do a quick sweep of the room. Nobody within a hundred feet.

"Did we land in the right area?"

"I think so, maybe I overshot."

We hear a noise behind us. I shut off my Lumen and we decide to see if the person will just go away. I squeeze Eight's hand.

"Who the hell is here?! You better watch out! I will kick your..."

"Cato! Why can't you shut up? You need to surprise the burglar!"

"Shut it Clove!"

"Why are we even here? So you heard a noise, maybe it was an Avox."

"I heard voices you dumb-!" This guy, Cato starts swearing like you wouldn't believe.

"You're imagining things you diot. You're such a-." Clove begins to return the favour.

_Eight_. I think to him. _Get us the hell out of here!_

I squeeze Eight's hand hard. We go into a darkened state, my stomach becomes weak and I feel the ground disappear, that's how I know we're safe. My breath catches in my throat and I see a bright light. We're in a brightly lit room now. I'm relieved to see Adam sitting on his bed messing around with some kind of machinery.

"What took you so long?" Adam asks.

"We got sidetracked, I didn't estimate the distance properly." Eight explains.

"Alright."

"What the hell is that?" I ask, looking at the mass of wires and assorted junk on his bed.

"I'll explain in a bit." Adam says grabbing Eight's hand.

There's darkness again and then I feel fresh air and see city lights. I let out a sigh of relief. I let go of Eight's hand and stretch out. I light up my Lumen and see human shapes on the other side of some dome. The three of us walk around the dome and see the others sitting by what seems to be a smal rooftop garden. It's the first natural thing I've seen since we came to the Capitol. There are some nice flower beds, shrubs and a trillion windchimes blowing in the wind. This is the perfect cover, except for the annoying tinkling of the chimes. I do a quick scan to make sure everyone's here.

"Sorry we're late, we had an issue with the teleportation." I explain.

"Let's get started... We're about to be sent into a death arena by the president who is no doubt in contact with the Mogs."

"Killing each other while it's being broadcast to the entire country." Adam mutters. "The pillars of this society is built on their pass times."

"No doubt every Mog will be tuned in." I grimace.

"That's garbage! We've had enough of their BS, we need to attack now." Nine says slamming his fist against the roof. "We've played their game, why can't we wreak havoc on Sir Pasty face and his white faced army?"

"There's still a threat. Sarah, Sam, Mark, Blake and Ella are still vulnerable being in the disricts." Christina says. "One word from Snow and they're shot down in the streets. Ella could take them, but numbers could overwhelm them."

"They wouldn't kill them until we're dead. They'd probably hold them captive to force us into the games."

"That's why we need to strike now!" Nine says.

"That's going to be a problem..." Three says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I've seen something in the future. I don't know if its a legacy or not, but I have this forboding feeling that if we attack, the Mogs will invade. Millions will die."

"You sure?" Christina asks.

"Positive. I...I'm thinking... we need to go into the games." Three says.

"Hell no!" Nine barks. "Why should we listen to hobbit here?"

"Can it Nine!" Christina barks."I thought that was your nickname for Five."

"He's Frodo, Five's Bilbo."

Five turns his fist silver and charges.

"Five don't!" Christina says, stepping between him.

"No come on, Bilbo bring it!" Nine challenges eagerly. He pounds his fist against the roof again.

"Stop It!" Marina says. "There's going to be enough killing without you two."

"Spoken by the chick who took my eye." Five hisses.

"You tried to kill Eight."

"ENOUGH!"

We look over at Christina.

"I will not have you kill my brother!"

"You can't play that card everytime" Nine hisses. "He needs to pay."

"Can't you see what's going on?" she says. "It's already happening. Setrakus knows what's going to happen. We're going to turn on each other in the games and do exactly what he wants. We can't let that happen."

She turns to Five.

"Aruvun...you're better than this."

I know Christina means business when she uses Five's real name, their father's name no less. I know I need to be on Christina's side. She's the voice of reason in the group. She sees the good in people, especially Five. She pulls

"Christina's right, we're not sinking to the level of the tributes of District 2. You've seen them they're vicious minded. We need a better plan. Something that saves as many lives as possible and keeps Sarah and the others safe."

"Great Johnny, just how in the hell are we going to do that?"

"I never said it would be easy Nine."


	7. Chapter 6: Training for Ten

I'm lying in bed, unable to sleep. After the meeting on the roof, we were supposed to go back to our beds and get some rest, but I can't. It's certainly not the bed, it's as comfortable as could be. I could even press a button and it would massage my back, but I don't like it. I should be sleeping like a baby, but I'm used to flat mats out in Kenya, for the longest time, woven mats were my only possession along with my chest and extra supplies. I've grown accustomed to sleeping only on Mother Earth herself. It's also good for your back. Despite living in "civilization" again, I feel out of place. My Cepan, he went by Kali, always told me that the best way to stay hidden was out of sight and out of mind. My only friends were him and the animals we encounter. So when he died, I continued the custom.

I lived off the land until it was time for all eleven of us to come together. I had been isolated for so long that it was hard to adjust to the others. I found out that Five lived like me for awhile until his Cepan died and allowed him to re-join society, but I didn't. Since I was almost caught and killed by the Mogs, I knew my face would be recognizable on any camera or device which in turn made me easier to track than the others so I steered clear of populated areas. That was my key to survival, but now being thrown into the middle of a giant city with all the noises and people, strangely dressed people no less, it's all a bit overwhelming.

I feel like the weak link in the group. I'm the odd duck in a flock of swans, all the others have had experience fighting with Mogadorians, some have even been held captive for periods of time. They're techniques are often flawless and strong. I know that it's mostly because they've trained longer than me, but I still feel left out. I was constantly on the run, so I never really had the chance to take the time and train properly. I never stayed in one place for more than a day, knowing the Mogs would be tracking me. On top of that my legacies came later than most, and even now I don't really understand them. The one where I have dreams and gut feelings only seems to warn me of potential danger. I have telekinesis like the others and I share anti-gravity with Nine. Other than that, I don't have any more legacies. John is usually sympathetic, saying that he though his Lumen was useless until he realized that he can create fire and use it as a weapon. Marina said the same thing with her healing, the icy feeling she had turned into Cryokinesis. The only person I could truly relate with was Ella, she's younger than the rest of us and she's still waiting on her legacies too. She only has telepathy and her object charge thing that we're not really sure what it fully does yet.

I'm also really out of shape, I can hold my own, but I'm no where near as strong as Six or Nine. At least Marina is pretty sympathetic. She told me her story about how she was trapped in Spain for the longest time because her Cepan had given up and refused to train her. She felt insignificant and when she met up with the others, her self-esteem took a few blows. Marina assures me that I would find my inner strength. There would be a time of extreme emotional distress, and that was in when Eight was almost killed and she took out Five's eye. I've been waiting patiently for that moment, but so far nothing.

I decide to reach out to Christina, wondering if she's awake.

_Christina?_

_Yeah Three, what's up?_

_Nothing, I can't sleep._

_Join the club brother._

_Do you really think this plan will work?_

_If your visions/premonitions are true then we put millions of lives at risk by starting the war now._

_So you believe me? Nine sure doesn't_

_Don't you ever learn? Take Nine's words as a grain of salt._

_Trying..._

_He takes some getting used to._

_So I've been told._

_How are you? _She asks gently.

_Alright._

_Are you sure? _You can't fool a mind reader.

_Can't fool you huh?_

_Nope, what's bothering you?_

_Legacies, our purpose, my use...the usual_

_Just remember what we told you, legacies come you need them most._

_I know that, but you guys have all these cool abilities. I mean Six can turn invisible, Eight can shape shift, John and his Lumen._

_Your time will come. I haven't gotten a legacy in a while._

_But you have a legacy that makes you unique, that Externa._

_I share that with my twin brother._

_Right, but mind reading..._

_I share that with Ella_

_The impenetrable skin_

_I'm sure someone will get that too_

_But still.._

_Legacies take time Three, Two is just like you, she doesn't really have legacies yet._

_I know..._

Something pops into my head.

_Why did you trust my instincts about competing in the games?_

_Because I had foreboding emotions and visions like you. I thought I was crazy, but it warned me about my brother switching sides and Setrakus Ra's arrival on Earth. They're not so useless after all, they serve a purpose like all our legacies._

_I guess not, but right now it's pretty useless._

_Don't say that Three, you learn and develop it like all of us. Like I said it takes time. Maybe this Game training will bring some legacies to the surface._

_Maybe, anyways you're the survivalist, you have skills none of us have. You can hunt and track amoung other things._

_I guess your right._

_Try to get some sleep, we have a long day ahead of us._

_Okay, good night_

_Night Three._

With that the connection breaks off, like hanging up on a phone call. Christina has made me feel better, but things still linger in my mind. I get up and lie on the floor with my blanket. I feel a bit comfortable, just enough to sleep.

I see fire. Flames licking the buildings of the Capitol and surrounding districts. I'm floating above the scenes of chaos and death. I see thousands of people screaming and dropping dead in the streets. I can see the Mogadorian space crafts coming from the sky, spreading the flames everywhere. I'm forced down into the streets. I see two little children running past me screaming their heads off. They're dressed as Capitol people would be, but covered in ash and blood. Two Mogadorian follow them with their guns raised, I try to stop them with my telekinesis, but they pass through me. I'm only the ghost in a vision. A few more building become bathed in fire and collapse on top of citizens. I try to run away from everything but I'm surrounded by death.

I awake on the floor, sweating like crazy. I'm suffocating in this hot air. I go for the window and press. I can't find the knob to open this thing, but at this point I'm desperate. I use my telekinesis and shatter the glass. The fresh city air rushes in and I can breath again. I don't care if I've triggered some kind of alarm, I was going to die before I even got into the arena.

I hear noises behind me. I turn to see Marina staring at me. I feel a harsh chill surrounding her.

"You okay? I thought the Mogs might've tried to pick us off" she asks.

"Yeah, I just needed air."

"Okay good."

I turn on the lamp device next to my bed and I get a good look at Marina. She's sweating too, more than I was. Her hair's all out of place and her clothes are really messed up. I thought she might be having bad dreams like me. She seems embarrassed to be appearing in front of me in her pajamas.

"Good, good although the landlord won't thank you..." The cold seems to fade, meaning she's relaxing.

"S-see you tomorrow." she says, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Night" I say waving.

The next morning I toss on the uniform for training. Our female mentor, I can't remember her name, but she is seriously edgy, is waiting for Marina and I at breakfast.

"Listen up!" she says as Marina grabs a banana and I grab a pomegranate. It tastes like home to me and all Marina and I have been eating in the district is what we can salvage from dumpsters and so on.

"I want you girls to show the judges what you've got, if you have anything at all. What can you do?"

Marina bites her lip and gazes at me. She has no idea what we can do. I squeeze the pomegranate slightly and let the juices run through my fingers and down my arms.

I decide to speak. "I know how to survive on my own. I know what you can eat and stuff."

"Pathetic, but reasonable, that means you need to build up the fighting skills do you know how to throw an axe or anything sharp?"

I bite my lip and nod.

"What about you sweetie?" she asks.

I can feel the cold radiating off Marina, our mentor has seriously ticked her off. I notice a glass nearby is starting glaze over in frost. I grab her hand under the table and give it a squeeze. Her hands are fridgid, almost hard to hold.

But our mentor isn't pleased with us, but still doesn't notice the chill.

"Do you have any skills besides screwing around with the other tributes?"

Marina's face goes bright red and the cold gets stronger. I realize what happened last night, it didn't dawn on me that her messed up appearance meant something other than stressful dreams.

"That's right, the walls aren't soundproof sweetheart. You realize that he'll probably kill you next week. Sex will not get you sponsors." Our mentor begins calling Marina various names that I don't want to repeat. Marina's hand begin to shake and the cold gets stronger than ever. My hand begins to sting as the ice spreads further and further around us. The juice on my arm is like a Popsicle and I can see the tears streaming down her face. I was wondering if the tears will freeze to her face.

"You have no right to call her that!" I say, ready to stand up to her. I squeeze Marina's hand again, this time it was re-assuring.

"Oh boo hoo, the little **** can cry, but those tributes will not take pity on you. You can't sleep with all of them in exchange for your life."

Marina jolts upwards and grabs a knife from the table. I barely have time to try and grab the weapon, when she pitches it at our mentor. I want to use my telekinesis to stop it, but this will blow our cover for sure. Our mentor doesn't skip a beat, she ducks and the knife sticks into the wall. Marina is panting, fighting back the rest of the tears. The cold is extremely intense, but I fight through it. Our mentor smirks at us.

"That's what I want!" She says, exasperated. "I want you two to fight! If you can sleep with some of the tributes, seduce them, do that on your own time, but I want you two to fight! Stay together, don't go get drawn in by the alliances, they'll turn on you as soon as the chips are down. Now get out of here."

Marina pushes up from the table and I follow her. She lets the do slam extra hard. We ride the elevator down together. The cold has subsided finally and Marina lets out a breath. I rub my hand, trying to bring the circulation back.

"Sorry about that." Marina says with embarrassment. "She just really pushed my buttons."

"It's fine" I say. "But you just need to keep it in check, she's not a Mog."

"Sure as hell acts like one" Marnia mutters as we reach the gymnasium.

We step off and see the others among the tributes. They all have numbers pinned to their backs and someone comes up and does the same for us. John looks over at me and nods. Christina has her hair pulled back in her ponytail and she smiles at me. I scan the other tribute's faces.

My heart stops. My eyes land on a beautiful girl. She has her blonde hair pulled into two braids. Her eyes are a beautiful emerald green. I've never felt like this before. My heart beats really quickly and my face becomes hot. I pull my stomach in and try to appear taller. I can't stop staring at her. I think at some point she feels my eyes on her. She moves those spheres of green purity in my direction. My breath catches in my throat and my eyes widen. I give her a small awkward smile. She looks at me with a slight glare, as if confused as to why I'm trying to be friendly. Her eyes soften for a brief second before she looks away. That does not seem like a good sign.

A very tall, athletic woman named Atala steps up and begins to read out the stations. There are three mandetory exercises that we will have to complete together and the rest are open to all of us. There are survival stations and ones that teach fighting techniques. I know I need to stop by them. Even with my legacies, I don't have any experience with weapons besides spears for hunting.

Once Atala finishes we're free to roam the gym.

"Where do you want to go first?" I ask Marina. She shrugs

The District 12 tributes head for the knot tying station. The District 1 and 2 head for the weapons area. John heads for the fire starting. He wants to be with his natural element, but he can start a fire with his bare hands. I don't even know why he's bothering to start there. Christina and her district partner head for the ropes course. Eight and Nine go for the wrestling station. Six goes for the hand to hand combat station and Adam goes for the shelter making. I decide that the edible plants station will be easy enough for me so I start heading in that direction and Marina follows. The instructor there is really nice and is impressed by my knowledge. I think I even teach him a few things too. Marina watches quietly and learns what's safe to eat and so on. I can't help, but once in a while stare over at the District 1 girl at the spear station. Her outfit extenuates her curves and makes her look strong and fit.

I promised our mentor that we'd stick together. I've started to warm up to my district partner. He's no fighter, but he's willing to learn. I jog over to the rope climbing station and start scrambling up. The boy, who I've come to know as Antonio, follows behind me. With my strength, I easily master the rope wall that leads to the over hanging area. I sit on the support bar and watch the others. Nine and Eight are trying to pin one another. Typical for them. My brother is at the knives throwing station with the District 2 girl, Clove. Six is constantly over taking the trainer at the hand to hand station. This is just her warm up though, she's the strongest of all of us and a far greater warrior than I think anyone expected. I see the Gamemakers watching her with impressed eyes. John's at the fire starting station, but I warn him about playing with the fire too much. I'm unsure about whether the Gamemakers are aware of what we are, but I seriously doubt it by the way they are drinking and enjoying themselves. Anyone who was under Mog rule would be more tense. Three and Marina are at the edible plants station and Adam at the shelter making. I swing my legs up and begin stretching like a ballet dancer would against the bar.

Antony had more trouble than I thought he would climbing to my level. He keeps getting his foot tangled and I notice why. His left knee is slightly out of joint. I think it must've been some kind of accident that left his knee extremely weak and disjointed.

"Here" I say offering my hand out to him. He hesitates, questioning my friendly personae.

"It's okay," I say. "I don't plan on killing you."

Antonio grimaces slightly, obviously not pleased with my joke.

"Chill out." I say. I don't plan on killing anyone, just Mogs. I begin stretching again. Antonio comes up to join me. He massages his knee, I'm sure Marina could fix it, but we still need to keep a low profile.

"You don't have to be afraid of me." I say softly. "We're allies."

"For how long? You know how this crap works, you're allies until someone gets a knife in the back."

I can tell he's afraid of dying. I think we all are, but he has a little sister, about six or seven, back home who cried and cried when he was chosen. She refused to let go of him until a Peacekeeper ripped her away. It reminds me of Anali, our sister, although my brother never met her. I had to be pried away from her, separated forever. It's the same with Antonio, the only difference is his should have never happened. It's Snow that is to blame for everything. He's the reason Panem is the way it is, force children against each other in a fight to the death. The thought makes me want to vomit. I start to wonder if the president is part Mog, he's like a snake with a sick way of enforcing power. He doesn't destroy the planet like Ra, what he does is a lot worse. (In a way).

"Come on." I say.

I can tell the Gamemakers are eyeing us. I decide to impress them. I lower myself on the over hanging ropes and climb on them like a spider. Once I'm in the middle, I let go with my hands, hanging there like a kid on a monkey bars. The entire area is upside down. I grab up at the ropes and pull my legs through. I hang there for a second and then I pull a triple somersault in mid-air before landing on the mats below. I stand up straight and fix my ponytail. I can see half the judges staring at my performance. Even Antonio is impressed.

"Come on" I say.

"No way." he gulps. Poor kid's afraid of heights.

"Alright, well then climb down."

I decide to a bit more warming up. I do two back springs and a reverse roll. I do a cartwheel and a full splits to stretch out a bit more. I just wish there were some gymnastics bars here, they were my strongest skill when I was younger. My Cepan allowed me to do gymnastics to keep my agility up. I could've been the star athlete if it didn't blow my cover as a "normal" girl. Hopefully, my remembered skills will help me gain sponsors.

Antonio has finally joined me on solid ground and I decide we could brush up on shelter making. Antonio follows me like a lost puppy, and I start to wonder if he would join us in our war. I stare at his crooked knee for th longest time. We haven't gone to fighting station yet, but I'm wondering if he can do anything valuable.

We'll just have to wait.


End file.
